1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to dispersion compensating (DC) fibers for use in telecommunication systems, and more particularly, to DC fibers for compensating for dispersion and dispersion slope of non-zero dispersion shifted fibers (NZDSF).
2. Technical Background
The increased demand for higher bit transmission rates has resulted in a large demand for optical transmission systems that can control dispersion effects. A linear analysis of common optical transmission systems indicates that while transmission systems can tolerate about 1,000 ps/nm residual dispersion at 10 Gbit/second, these systems tolerate only about 62 ps/nm residual dispersion at a higher transmission rate of 40 Gbit/second. Therefore, it is apparent that it is important to accurately control the dispersion for high bit-rate transmission systems, and that this control becomes increasingly important as the transmission rate increases. Further, the need to accurately control dispersion means that dispersion slope of a transmission fiber must also be compensated for as transmission rates approach 40 Gbit/second.
Various solutions have been proposed to achieve the low dispersion and dispersion slope values required for compensating NZDSFs, including: photonic crystal fibers, higher order mode dispersion compensation, dispersion compensating gratings and dual fiber dispersion compensating techniques. Each of these solutions has significant drawbacks associated therewith.
Photonic crystal fibers are designed to have a large negative dispersion and a negative dispersion slope that are close to those required for compensating NZDSFs. However, photonic crystal fibers have significant drawbacks including a relatively small effective area of about 10 xcexcm2 or less that leads to unacceptably high splice losses and, hence, require the use of a transition or bridge fiber to reduce splice losses. In addition, due to the very nature of photonic crystal fibers, i.e. glass/air interfaces in the core of the fiber, the related attenuation is unacceptable in the transmission window of interest. Further, photonic crystal fibers are significantly difficult to manufacture on a large scale and, therefore, expensive.
Higher order mode (HOM) dispersion compensation relies on the dispersion properties of higher order modes being transmitted in the fiber. It has been demonstrated that higher order modes, e.g. LP02 and LP11, have higher negative dispersion and dispersion slope than the fundamental mode. Higher order mode dispersion compensation typically relies on the conversion of a transmitted fundamental mode to one of the higher order modes via a mode converter. Subsequently, this HOM is propagated in the HOM fiber that supports that mode. After a finite distance, the HOM is coupled back to the fundamental mode via a second mode converting device. Problems associated with HOM dispersion compensation solutions include inefficient mode converters and the difficulty of producing HOM fibers that allow higher order mode transmission while resisting coupling to the fundamental mode.
Dispersion compensating gratings are utilized to achieve a required differential group delay via chirped gratings. Techniques utilizing dispersion compensating gratings have been shown to be useful for only narrow wavelength bands, as these techniques typically suffer from dispersion and dispersion slope ripple when the required grating length becomes large.
Dual fiber dispersion compensating solutions for NZDSFs are similar to the dispersion compensating gratings techniques described above in that the dispersion compensation and the slope compensation are separately treated. Typically, dual fiber dispersion compensating techniques include the use of a dispersion compensating fiber followed by a dispersion slope compensating fiber. Such solutions require the use of a dispersion slope compensating fiber that compensates for a relatively small dispersion slope. Extensive profile modeling of optical fibers has resulted in well-established correlations between dispersion slope, effective area and bend sensitivity. By increasing the role played by waveguide dispersion in a given fiber, it is possible to decrease the dispersion slope and even create a negative slope in some cases. However, as the effective area is decreased, the bend sensitivity of the fiber is increased. Effective area of the fiber can be increased at the expense of further degradation of the bend sensitivity. Decreasing the dispersion slope, or making the dispersion slope negative, results in working very close to the cut-off wavelength of the fundamental mode, which in turn makes the fiber more bend sensitive and results in greater signal loss at long wavelengths, i.e., wavelengths greater than 1560 nm. As a result of these relationships, it is extremely difficult to manufacture a viable DC fiber that compensates both dispersion and dispersion slope and that has the other desirable attributes, such as low attenuation, low bend loss and low multiple path interference (MPI).
Heretofore, the most viable broad band commercial technology available to reduce or eliminate dispersion has been DC fiber modules. As dense wavelength division multiplexing deployments increase to 16, 32, 40 and more channels, broadband DC products are desired. Telecommunication systems presently include single-mode optical fibers that are designed to enable transmission of signals at wavelengths around 1550 nm in order to utilize the effective and reliable erbium-doped fiber amplifiers currently available.
With continuing interest in higher bit-rate information transfer, i.e. greater than 40 Gbit/second, ultra-long reach systems, i.e., systems greater than 100 km in length, and optical networking, it has become imperative to use DC fibers in networks that carry data on NZDSFs. The combination of the early versions of DC fibers with NZDSFs effectively compensated dispersion at only one wavelength. However, higher bit-rates, longer reaches and wider bandwidths require dispersion slope to be more precisely compensated. Consequently, it is desirable for the DC fiber to have dispersion characteristics such that its dispersion and dispersion slope are closely matched to that of the transmission fiber.
As DC fibers are designed to adequately compensate for dispersion and dispersion slope across a wide wavelength band other optical characteristics of the resultant fiber are sacrificed, including bending performance, multiple path interference (MPI), and attenuation. For example, bending performance becomes critical when DC fibers of several kilometers in length are packaged for use within modules and wound about mandrels located therein. MPI may occur when an optical bit stream in a telecommunication system has two different paths that it travels. This can occur from multiple reflections from optical components, light traveling in different modes in a few-moded fiber, and can occur due to small inhomogeneities or macroscopic variations in the fiber""s refractive index. In particular, these variations cause light to be scattered in all directions with some being coupled back into the fiber in the backwards direction. Such back-scattered light may undergo further Rayleigh scattering and be re-coupled into the forward direction thereby interfering with the primary signal. Measured MPI may include contributions from all of these mechanisms. MPI shows itself as noise in the optical link (showing up at the optical receiver) and degrades the performance of the system. MPI is typically defined as the ratio of the power in the secondary paths divided by the power in the primary path. It would, therefore, be desirable to develop an alternative DC fiber having the ability to compensate for dispersion and dispersion slope of non-zero dispersion shifted fibers over a wide wavelength band around 1550 nm, while simultaneously minimizing effects detrimental to signal propagation such as MPI, while simultaneously maintaining good attenuation and bend performance.
The present invention relates to a DC fiber and system utilizing the same that compensates for dispersion and dispersion slope of a NZDSF in the C band (1525 nm to 1565 nm). The DC fiber and systems disclosed herein enable good compensation for dispersion and dispersion slope of a NZDSF while achieving low MPI in the DC fiber. The DC fiber also maintains good bend performance and low attenuation.
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a DC fiber that includes a central core segment having a relative refractive index, a depressed moat segment on the periphery of the central core segment and having a relative refractive index that is less than the relative refractive index of the central core segment, and an intermediate segment on the periphery of the moat segment and having a relative refractive index that is less than the relative refractive index of the core segment and greater than the relative refractive index of the moat segment. The DC fiber also includes an annular ring segment on the periphery of the intermediate segment and having a relative refractive index that is less than the relative refractive index of the central core and greater than the relative refractive index of the intermediate segment, and a cladding layer on the periphery on the annular ring segment and having a relative refractive index that is less than the relative refractive index of the ring segment and greater than the relative refractive index of the moat segment.
In accordance with another embodiment, the relative refractive index profile of the DC fiber is selected to provide a negative dispersion at a wavelength of about 1550 nm, a negative dispersion slope at a wavelength of about 1550 nm, a xcexa (kappa) value of less than or equal to about 100 at a wavelength of about 1550 nm, and MPI of less than xe2x88x9240 dB at 1550 nm; more preferably less than xe2x88x9245 dB; and most preferably less than xe2x88x9250 dB. Preferably, the DC fiber also exhibits a pin array bend loss of less than or equal to about 30 dB; more preferably less than 20 dB; and most preferably less than 17 dB, all at 1550 nm.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a DC fiber that includes a central core segment having a relative refractive index and an outer radius, a depressed moat segment on the periphery of the central core segment and having a relative refractive index that is less than the relative refractive index of the central core segment, and an outer radius, and an intermediate segment on the periphery of the moat segment and having a relative refractive index that is less than the relative refractive index of the core segment and greater than the relative refractive index of the moat segment, and an outer radius. The DC fiber also includes an annular ring segment on the periphery of the intermediate segment and having a relative refractive index that is less than the relative refractive index of the central core segment and greater than the relative refractive index of the intermediate segment, an outer radius, and a cladding layer on the periphery of the annular ring segment and having a relative refractive index that is less than the relative refractive index of the ring segment and greater than the relative refractive index of the moat segment.
The relative refractive index percentages and radii of the central core segment, the depressed moat segment, the intermediate segment, the annular segment and cladding layer are chosen from the following ranges: the relative refractive index of the central core segment within the range of from about 1.51% to about 2.27%; the relative refractive index of the depressed moat segment within the range of from about xe2x88x920.42% to about xe2x88x920.62%; the relative refractive index of the intermediate segment within the range of from about 0.040% to about 0.060%; the relative refractive index of the annular ring segment within the range of from about 0.50% to about 0.74%; the outer radius of the central core segment within the range of from about 1.4 microns to about 2.1 microns; the outer radius of the depressed moat segment within the range of from about 4.1 microns to about 6.2 microns; the outer radius of the intermediate segment within the range of about 5.9 microns to about 8.2 microns; and, the outer radius of the annular ring segment within the range of from about 7.2 microns to about 10.2 microns.
The relative refractive index percentage and radii of the central core segment, the depressed moat segment, the intermediate segment, annular segment and cladding layer are further selected to provide: negative dispersion at a wavelength of about 1550 nm; negative dispersion slope at a wavelength of about 1550 nm; a xcexa value of less than or equal to about 100 at a wavelength of about 1550 nm; and MPI of less than xe2x88x9240 dB. Preferably also, the DC fiber exhibits pin array bend loss of less than or equal to about 30 dB at a wavelength of 1550 nm.
The present invention also includes optical communication systems employing DC fibers and modules in accordance with the embodiments described above.
The present invention system utilizes the DC fiber in accordance with the invention to substantially fully compensate for both dispersion and dispersion slope, thereby eliminating the need for high cost compensating materials and components and/or the required use of DC fibers that are difficult and expensive to manufacture and which contribute to significant signal loss. The present invention further compensates for both dispersion and dispersion slope while simultaneously minimizing MPI, as well as bend loss and attenuation.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows and will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description or recognized by practicing the invention as described in the description which follows, together with the claims and appended drawings.